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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Mountain aid call treated as hoax | Mountain aid call treated as hoax |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A call for help in County Down which saw a major rescue operation mounted in the Mourne Mountains is being treated as a deliberate hoax, police have said. | A call for help in County Down which saw a major rescue operation mounted in the Mourne Mountains is being treated as a deliberate hoax, police have said. |
| Someone claiming to be a French tourist staying at a local hotel called the establishment telling them he was lost on Monday morning. | |
| The chairman of Down District Council, Colin McGrath, said nearly £200,000 of public money had been wasted. | |
| "That could have provided for a youth centre for a year," he said. | |
| "Or a small primary school for a year or a number of doctors and nurses." | |
| Four helicopters and a spotter plane along with dog teams and other rescue teams were sent to look for the man. | Four helicopters and a spotter plane along with dog teams and other rescue teams were sent to look for the man. |
| But police later called off the search saying they no longer believed the man was missing. | But police later called off the search saying they no longer believed the man was missing. |
| They have said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the initial report. |